Improvement in compositions for elastic stamps



. possibility.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.-

JAMES soon, or HAMILTON, CANADA.

IMPROVEMENT lN COMPOSITIONS FOR ELA STIC STAMPS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 167,856, dated September 21, 1875; application filed June'12, 1875.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES 800m, of the city of Hamilton, in the county of Wentworth, in the Province of Ontario, Dominion of Canada, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Compounds for Composition Stamps;- and I do hereby declare that the composition stamps are affected by cold, and

in winter will only last, on an average, about three weeks, and in warm weather a little longer, The fine lines of the stamps lose their sharpness, and the spaces between the lines become filled up, so as to deface the pattern and render a perfect impression an im- When the stamps are in this condition,from two to three weeks usage, they are obliged to be thrown away asentirely useless, and other stamps formed of new material.

It will be seen that the stamps, in the first place, do not last long, and that when they are worn out they are thrown aside as useless; whereas I have used my stamps during last winter for three months, and at the end of that time they were not worn out, but were almost as good as new. When they are worn out I can easily remold them, either in the original pattern or a different pattern.

It will be observed that, in the first place, my stamps are not affected by cold, they stand wear much longer than the present ones, and are more quickly and cheaply made, and a great saving over the old ones, as there is no waste, every stamp being capable of being remolded.

To prepare the stamps, I take gelatine and put it in a water-bath until it is soaked-to the thickness of a knife-blade; then Iprepare it for boiling in a glue-pot or other suitable vessel, and dissolve it. In about twenty minutes time I add to it about four (4) ounces of glycerine, and one (1) pound of glue, and two table-spoonfuls of the best sirup, and about one-tenth of an ounce of tannin; stir five minutes to thoroughly mix. The compound is then formed into a plaster-of-paris or lead mold, (having the desired design impressed therein from a prepared or cut block of wood or metal,) where it remains for about two hours. When it is taken out it solidifies and is ready for use in the usual manner of ornamenting with the old stamps.

When my stamps are worn out, which is not until three months constant use, I place them in a warm bath for about one minute; then take them out and scrape out the outside, which removes the old varnish; then put them into a water-bath and dissolve. When the substance becomes about the consistency of thick sirup it is poured into a plaster-ofparis or metal mold, and in a very short time is again ready for use.

Many attempts to remold old worn-out stamps have been made by others, but hitherto Without success.

It will be observed that I do not claim to v be the first inventor of composition stamps 0r printers ink-rollers, the basis of which is glycerine, glue, sugar, sirup, 8250., as now used, but

What I do claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

An improved compound for composition stamps 'for ornamenting with bronze, goldleaf, and silver-leaf, consisting of gelatine, sirup, glycerine, in combination with tannin, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

Dated at Hamilton, Ontario, this 9th day of April, A. D. 1875.

JAMES SCOTT.

Signed in the presence of- WM. BRUCE, P. L. SCRIVEN. 

